Frequently Asked Questions & Answers for Office Ally Services

To sign up with Office Ally, fill out our Online Sign Up Form. After you have completed the form, there is a Provider Authorization Signature Page and the Business Associate Agreement that must be signed.

Once we receive the sign up form you will have a user name and password for our website. One of our enrollment specialists will contact you to set up an appointment with one of our technical staff usually within 48 hours.

No, try out our service, if you do not like the service, you are free to stop using the website.

No, the Office Ally website will interface with all practice management software packages. All you need is Internet access.

Most of our users send claims to us as follows:

1. Create a claim file using your current billing software
2. Log into www.OfficeAlly.com and click, "Upload"
3. Click, "Select File"
4. Find your file and click, "Open"
5. Click, "Upload"

Office Ally also supports SFTP transfers and offers an online entry tool. We will walk you through this process step-by-step during your setup appointment.

We do accept the HIPAA compliant ANSI 837 format. However, if your software does not produce this format, we also accept text files, (print-image files) and NSF format. We convert your claims to the HIPAA required ANSI 837 format before they are sent to the insurance companies. There is no need to upgrade or purchase new software!

Our ability to accept a print-image files means that we are compatible with nearly every practice management system. Essentially, if your software allows you to print claims in your office, you can send claims to Office Ally.

Office Ally offers Practice Mate - a FREE web-based complete practice management system. Accessed via the Office Ally website, your practice information is available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All you need is internet connectivity. Easy to learn and use, we have incorporated into our program all the elements needed for successfully managing your practice. We also offer a free, online entry tool for providers who don't need a full practice management system. This tool allows you access to a blank, electronic HCFA on our website. You type data into it the same way you would a paper HCFA. Additionally, this tool allows you to store patient, facility and provider information so you do not have to re-type the same information.

By enrolling with Office Ally, you are automatically set-up to send to all payers on our Payer List except those with a check-mark under the heading titled Enrollment. Those payers require you to go through a pre-enrollment process before we can send your claims electronically to them.

To get started on the pre-enrollment for those payers who require pre-enrollment, go to Payer EDI Enrollment Forms page within the Resource Center on our web site. Find the state and respective insurance company that you need to pre-enroll with. Click on the link and follow the instructions provided and complete all required forms referenced in the instructions. There is no cost for pre-enrollment.

These payers require paperwork before we can electronically submit claims for you. These forms have very specific instructions that must be followed exactly. All of these forms require the provider's original signature - faxed copies are not accepted. The completed forms must be mailed either to Office Ally, or to the payer, (depending on the form) and then we must wait for an approval letter from the payer. Please contact us if you have any questions about these forms.

Pre-enrollment for most commercial payers is usually complete within one week. Pre-enrollment for Medicare, Medi-Cal, and CHAMPUS/TriWest varies from 1 to 6 weeks.

Office Ally offers many features to our users including tools for tracking claims, running reports based on your own specifications, checking eligibility, verifying codes (ICD9/ICD10, POS, Modifiers), fixing claims right on our website, entering claims online, and sending attachments electronically. We are continually adding new features and upgrading existing services to meet your EDI needs and best of all, it's all free to you as an Office Ally user.

Yes, we are certified HIPAA compliant. The Business Associate Agreement details the HIPAA policies and procedures we follow to protect your private health information as well the security measures used in our computer systems to ensure privacy.

No, the law allows providers to submit in a non-HIPAA compliant format to a clearinghouse. The clearinghouse must convert the claims into the 837 HIPAA compliant format prior to transmission to the insurance company. It is against the law for a provider to submit directly to an insurance company in a non-compliant format.